Will A Fly Convict Casey Anthony?

Can a fly convict Casey Anthony

 

The death of little Caylee Anthony is another case that hinges on forensic evidence, or the lack of it. It’s been a real puzzle since the beginning. A convoluted story that began with a missing two-year-old whose mother, Casey Anthony, concocted lie after lie after lie to justify why the grandmother would not be able to see her precious granddaughter for nearly a month. There was a car accident, work meetings, spending time with a new lover in a hotel room, and, of course, there was the mystery nanny named Zanny (Zanny was supposedly the victim in the imaginary auto accident, a lie Casey told her mother). Casey even lied about her job. Well, the job she didn’t have but dressed for and pretended to drive to each morning.

And that brings us to Casey Anthony’s vehicle, a white Pontiac Sunfire. Casey’s mother, Cindy, reported to police (the original 911 call) that she smelled the odor of death in the trunk of the vehicle. The owner of the impound lot where Casey’s car was stored testified that he, too, smelled the odor of human decomposition in the trunk of Casey’s car, an odor he says he’s quite familiar with since bodies have been found in cars on his lot in the past. Forensic experts have testified that material consistent with human decomposition was indeed found in the trunk of the car.

Now, forensic expert Dr. Neal Haskell has testified to some very interesting facts concerning his discovery in the trunk of Casey Anthony’s car—the discovery of insect parts. That’s right, pieces of bugs. Dr. Haskell says he discovered the leg of a fly inside the trunk compartment. But this was no everyday fly leg. This leg belonged to a fly that ONLY feeds on fresh remains. But the real “nails-in-the-coffin” were the hundreds of fly eggs (a different type of fly) found. These eggs were from a type of fly, coffin flies, that ONLY feed on decomposing flesh. The eggs were found on paper towels that had possibly been used to clean the carpeting inside the trunk. What were the towels used to clean up? Well, it appeared they’d been used to wipe up fluids that are consistent with human decomposition.

Therefore, by combining his findings of different types of insects and their stages of development, Dr. Haskell was able to say that a human body had been inside the trunk for up to five days before someone removed it. Also, from the lack of blow flies present, Haskell determined that the body had probably been moved to the trunk after the initial stages of decomposition.

Of course, the defense has argued that the insects were there because someone had left a bag of garbage in the trunk for quite a while, attracting them. I guess they’ve forgotten about the strand of Caylee’s hair that was also found in the trunk. It, too, was in a stage of decomposition. Dr. Haskell says the odor that attracted the bugs was the odor of decomposing human remains, not garbage.

Will Casey Anthony be sent to death row based on a tiny fly’s leg? Or will there be a “Perry Mason” moment before the trial is over?

After all, Casey has now stated that her daughter drowned in the family pool and that Casey’s father, George, a former police officer, concealed the child’s death by disposing of her body. All this after Casey stated that her father and brother had molested her many times when she was a child. George Anthony may not have done what his daughter is accusing him of, but mark my words, he’s riddled with some sort of guilt. His body language is proof of that.

Who knows how this one will end? I don’t. But I do know one thing…the whole case really “bugs” me.

 

 

 

10 replies
  1. Carol
    Carol says:

    There are two pieces of evidence that the prosecution, to my knowledge, hasn’t entered into evidence: (1) Casey’s journal entry stating that she thought she probably had made the right decision for everyone but still felt worried but it was the happiest day of her life and (2) the big fight between Casey and Cindy the night before Casey left the Anthony home with Caylee, the gist of which was that Cindy threatened to take Caylee away from Casey, and Casey responded that she’d never see Caylee again. Did the court rule the evidence could not come in or will they seek to introduce it sometime in rebuttal?

    Carol

  2. JC
    JC says:

    @ Julia – Casey wasn’t caring for this child on her own. She was living with her mother and father in their home – they helped with the care and raising of that child too. Casey wasn’t working for most of Caylee’s life, so she certainly wasn’t the one footing the bill.

  3. Susanne
    Susanne says:

    I’m intrigued by your comment about George’s body language. What is it about his gestures or the way he sits/walks etc. that has caught your eye?

    Susanne

  4. Beth Anderson
    Beth Anderson says:

    Because of the testimony that Casey’s computer showed a whole raft of queries about chloroform before Caylee’s death, I can’t shake the feeling that Casey chloroformed her to put her to sleep so she could go out and party, and it backfired, causing Caylee’s death. My only question is, did she tape the body herself to cover up a crime, or did her father help her, because it could have been either way.

    As much as Casey had hoodwinked her parents before, and they indulged her, always believing her lies, I’m thinking all three of them may wind up doing time for this crime.

    It’d still be accidental death caused by the actions of Casey, but if they’re able to pull the parents into it, which could easily be true, then all three are guilty.

    I know if one of my children killed one of their children, I’d never defend them or help them cover it up. But this family is a strange one, to allow Casey to run them in circles the way they have for so long. I do think they’re covering up for her in some way because they don’t want to lose their daughter as well as their granddaughter, but I think their reasoning is skewed if that’s the case.

    Casey, in my opinion, is a psychopath. She is not at all normal, and as several have said, was not ready for motherhood. That still doesn’t excuse her actions during this whole awful case. And it sure as heck doesn’t excuse her parents’ actions if it’s going the way I think it’s going.

  5. SZ
    SZ says:

    I hope they pound that science again and again. Can this type of fly exist on decaying flesh only, or on decaying chicken, cow … ? If not, like DNA, they have scientific proof of a body in the trunk.
    I agree with Julia, a young lady not ready for Motherhood maybe.

  6. Julia Buckley
    Julia Buckley says:

    I don’t believe the swimming pool story. This young woman has already proved to be a chronic liar, tracing long back before the murder. And based on the photos of her partying like crazy while her child was either missing or dead (only she would know which, but it’s likely the latter), it’s hard to believe any of her versions of what happened.

    I think that, like Susan Smith before her, she found her child to be a hindrance to her lifestyle because she herself is tragically immature. And like Susan Smith, I think she knowingly murdered her child–or at least smothered her in a fit of rage (perhaps the little girl was throwing a tantrum?).

    Mothering is a hard job, and even harder when you’re a kid and doing it on your own. This young woman never should have had a child, and I pity the child that was born to her and died by her hands.

  7. Rick Bylina
    Rick Bylina says:

    Don’t believe a smoking gun (or a broken fly leg) will convict her. The weight of circumstantial evidence and all the flip-flop lies she hung around her neck will be what convicts her. It may not end up first degree, but she’ll be rocking to the oldies with a walker by the time she sees freedom again, if ever. But as we learned with OJ, the unbelievable can happen at any time.

  8. Lee Lofland
    Lee Lofland says:

    Hi Stacy. I’m not sure about Florida law, but I’d assume they could charge her with obstruction and something like “abuse of a corpse” which is a charge I’ve seen used in several locales. But going to prison for those charges is a heck of a lot better than sitting on death row, or a life sentence for murder. And that’s what the defense is hoping to do, avoid the death penalty.

  9. Stacy Allen
    Stacy Allen says:

    Lee,
    Love this entry. This case has me on edge. I do have a question. Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that Caylee did drown in the pool, and George and Casey ‘covered up’ the death. Can’t they be charged with crimes such as obstruction of justice, moving a corpse, dumping a body. I mean where is her defense team taking her with this ridiculous notion that Caylee died in the swimming pool? Are they going to admit, then, that George and Casey bound and taped the girl, and dumped her body? And how are they going to explain the chloroform? This is one crazy case. It makes me ill to think of all the possibilities.
    Stacy

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